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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
The Energy Paradox summary
Steven R. Gundry
What to Do When Your Get-Up-and-Go Has Got Up and Gone
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Key idea 1 of 7
4.4 (87 ratings)
25 mins
7 key ideas
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What is The Energy Paradox about?
The Energy Paradox (2021) delves into the hidden causes of fatigue. It explores new theories on healthy living, and outlines the foods, medicines, and everyday products that have a big impact on your energy levels.
About the Author
Steven R. Gundry is a former cardiac surgeon, and the New York Times best-selling author of The Plant Paradox. Known for his controversial views on diet, Gundry is the founder and director of the Center for Restorative Medicine in California.
Table of Contents
Key idea 1 of 7
Your energy levels are suffering because your body is on fire.
It’s a new morning, and instead of bursting with energy for the day ahead, you can barely get up. The energy is simply not there. Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
We live in an age of plenty, but many of us feel more exhausted than ever before. We have 24-hour access to food, giving us energy whenever we want. Our lifestyles don’t require much energy relative to our ancestors’. Yet it feels like a struggle just to get through the week. Why? This sorry state of affairs is what the author calls the energy paradox.
Whether you’re feeling a little tired every day or so tired that it’s difficult to function, that’s your body telling you that something is wrong!
The key message here is: Your energy levels are suffering because your body is on fire.
Believe it or not, you may be suffering from inflammation. Now, inflammation isn't always bad. It wards off nasty invaders, usually leading to a fever when you’re sick. But when you’re suffering from unexplained fatigue, it's a sign that your body is constantly inflamed, even when there’s no infection to fight. You have chronic inflammation.
Inflammation affects your energy level in two ways. First, it depletes your body of energy, which it redirects to create the inflammation. Second, it makes it more difficult for your body to absorb vital proteins, vitamins, and minerals from food. If this malabsorption goes on for too long, your body becomes desperate, taking protein from your muscles for energy. This leads to muscle wastage, as your body literally eats itself.
What causes chronic inflammation? Our Western lifestyles are to blame. A typical Western diet has a high level of processed foods and extremely low levels of fibrous fruits and vegetables. This is problematic for one simple reason: your microbiome is not being fed.
Your microbiome refers to the trillions of friendly microorganisms and bacteria that live in your digestive tract. With proper nourishment, they release chemicals that reduce inflammation. Unfortunately, these “gut buddies” simply can’t thrive on a Western diet. They need to be fed fiber from fruits and vegetables, and lots of it, to stay alive.
Eating processed foods instead of fibrous fruits and vegetables will starve your microbiome. So will eating the same few foods over and over again. Eventually, the microorganisms get out of balance and produce chemicals that promote inflammation, rather than reduce it. So be kind to your gut, and your gut will be kind back.
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Who should read The Energy Paradox
- Dieters looking for inspiration
- Fans of alternative medicine
- Anyone who wants more energy
Categories with The Energy Paradox
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